This invention relates to a device for securing a beach towel against wind dislodgement, and more particularly, to a beach mat which includes a beach towel that is mounted to preclude wind dislodgement and ingress of sand onto the towel surface.
People who visit a beach invariably take a beach towel, lay it on the sand, and use it for resting or sunbathing and as a barrier to skin contact with the sand. It is quite difficult to maintain the towel in a flat condition because, invariably, beaches are inherently windy, and the wind will dislodge a corner or an edge and the towel will fold over upon itself or wrinkle. This reduces the viability of the towel as a platform for lying upon, since this movement of the towel is usually accompanied by the deposit of sand on the towel surface. Not only is it then too narrow, but also too contaminated by sand to serve its intended function.
Since the main reason for using a towel is to shield the towel user from sand, the towel must then be picked up and shaken to remove the sand. This must be done carefully, for it is poor etiquette to sandblast other nearby sunbathers with the removed sand propelled by the wind.
Numerous solutions to this ages old problem have been proposed. Most involve placing a weight on all four corners of the beach towel. This is of limited utility, since the edges are still subject to the whims of the wind. Also, people walking by often unintentionally dislodge one of the weights and the towel flaps away. An attempt to cure this shortcoming is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 5,245,715, which provides tent stakes attached to clips that grip the towel corners. Unfortunately, the connecting cord could well trip passersby.
Other solutions include of replacing the towel with a rattan mat. However these mats are uncomfortable, since they cannot conform to the body contours. They are similar to lying on a floor. U.S. Pat. No. 5,394,575 discloses a foam rubber mat that is inherently more flexible. Such a mat will become uncomfortably hot in the sun.
Another solution provided in U.S. Pat. No. 4,634,618 is to sew weights into the border of a towel. This is effective in keeping the towel flat, but doesn""t address the problem of passersby inadvertently kicking sand onto the towel surface.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,709,430 discloses a hollow tube frame which is sewn into a special double thickness towel. This tube is then filled with water to make it heavy enough to prevent wind dislodgement. The tube provides a raised edge as a barrier to movement of sand onto the towel surface. This arrangement is unwieldy and requires use of an expensive special towel.
In U.S. Pat. No. 5,206,964, a special towel is attached to itself around an inflatable tube to provide a weighted frame and sand barrier. However, it must be blown or pumped up and is subject to being punctured, making it useless.
There is need for a simple, effective and inexpensive device which prevents wind dislodgement, which provides a barrier to the deposition of sand on the towel surface, and which is easy to transport and store.
Most beaches are public and, as such, ban advertising. Heretofore, advertisers have been forced to use airplane-towed banners to advertise their products to beachgoers, or to provide cups, towels and t-shirts with their advertising on it. None of these are truly effective, since airplane-towed banners are expensive, towels are often crumpled or folded, t-shirts are often not worn at the beach, and cups and the like are too small.
Thus, there is a need for a stable platform of sufficient size to enable advertisers to advertise their products legally at the beach.
It is therefore an object of this invention to provide a simple, effective and inexpensive device which prevents wind dislodgement, which provides a barrier to the deposition of sand on the towel surface, and which is easy to transport and store.
It is another object to provide a beach mat having a frame for a beach towel that secludes the towel surface from intrusion of sand and maintains the towel securely in a flat position to enhance sunbathing.
It is a further object to provide a lightweight beach mat that provides a towel frame that has sufficient flat surface to serve as an advertising platform to provide advertisers of products interesting to beachgoers a means of legally advertising at the beach.
In one aspect this invention features a beach mat having a towel frame for maintaining a beach towel in a flat deployed position and providing a barrier to the movement of sand onto the towel surface. The frame comprises spaced side members interconnected at their ends by spaced end members and has an inner periphery defining a generally rectangular central opening. A first fastening means is mounted on the frame inner periphery for engaging second fastening means mounted on the towel to secure the towel to the frame to cover the central opening and maintain the towel securely in a flat position. This secludes the towel surface from the intrusion of sand, thereby enhancing use by sunbathers.
In another aspect of this invention, the first fastening means are strips of hook material, and the second fastening means are loop material, forming a hook and loop fastener to secure the towel to the frame. In yet another aspect of this invention, the fastening means are snaps.
In a preferred form, a beach mat having a lightweight foam beach towel peripheral frame is provided that is an air cell and has a valve that enables squeezing of the frame to compress the frame by expelling air to reduce the size of the frame, and is closable to maintain the frame in the compressed condition for storage and/or transportation.
Preferably, the air cell is filled with resilient cellular foam and is normally expanded and filled with air in, but can be manually compressed to compact the beach mat for transportation and storage. The frame is normally rolled and fastened in rolled condition and includes handles for ease of transportation. Preferably, the frame mounts a hard plastic footboard, which has a circular depression to confine the bottom of a beverage can or bottle, and which facilitates rolling and compression of the foam.
In another form, the frame includes a pair of sub-frames which are identical U-shaped members, each including one of the end members and spaced legs each forming a portion of the side members, with the towel interconnecting the sub-frames, thus enabling the frame to be folded in half.
In another embodiment, the sub-frame legs are hinged together to enable the frame to be folded in half twice, reducing the size of the frame to one-fourth its deployed size to facilitate transportation and storage.
Preferably, in both forms, the frame includes an inner peripheral inset for mounting the fasteners.
These and other objects and features will become more readily apparent upon reference to the following detailed description of this invention, as illustrated in the attached drawings, in which: